Marriage & Family

Mixed emotions are natural. And while it is true that “feelings are not right or wrong, they just are,” there actually is a proper ordering to emotions. In time, negative emotions that are properly ordered can be resolved. However, emotions which are disordered are never resolved. They simply continue to arise again and again, frustrating family and family gatherings year after year. What can be done in such cases? Read

Arising from altruistic, though misplaced, intentions to aid couples that cannot conceive, surrogacy has become a multi-million-dollar business. The main argument used to justify surrogacy is the supposed right to a child, but there is no such right of one person over another. People are not things and cannot be made so. Most simply, surrogacy is the exploitation of women for reproductive purposes. Read

Per the Daily Telegraph “the lines of what constitutes a relationship are now completely blurred…. Young people today are brilliantly liberated because they have so much freedom, but also incredibly oppressed because that means they have to find their own rules and they’re confused.” Online dating? “[I]t’s like ordering…food, but you’re ordering a person.” Can anything good come from this? Read

On July 15, Jenner accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award at the ESPYS and urged acceptance for others who are transgender, receiving a standing ovation from some of the sporting world’s biggest stars. Amid the public spectacle that has captured the media’s attention these past few months, an important question must be asked: Does it take courage to do the wrong thing? Read

Prospective adoptive parents are getting involved in the lives of the birth mother and their hoped-for child earlier and earlier. Proponents note the positive benefits in terms of facilitating a more comfortable and connected open-adoption experience. Yet, others raise concerns about what can happen if the birth mother changes her mind. While there are no easy answers when dealing with such a powerful and poignant experience, one principle which might be applied is the preferential option for the most vulnerable, in this case, the baby. Read

The percentage of childless women in the United States aged 40 to 44 doubled from 1976 to 2006, at which point over one-fifth of women had no children. Although the numbers have abated some, still, they are substantial enough that the first “Not Mom Summit” will take place in Cleveland this October. While childlessness is not a new phenomenon, there is some sense that the reasons for not having children may have a different emphasis now than in the past. Read

On Friday, June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage across the nation by a slim 5-4 vote in the case, Obergefell v. Hodges. I offer below a simple breakdown of the ruling and its implications. What Did The … Read

Last month, Pew Research released its survey on religious beliefs, practices and affiliation in America, surprising some with its results. According to Pew: The Christian share of the U.S. population is declining, while the number of U.S. adults who do not … Read

On Tuesday, April 28, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for what certainly will be a historic decision on same-sex marriage. Chief Justice John Roberts boiled the argument down to the fundamental issue: “You’re not seeking to join the … Read